Nov. 17, 2011 - The Cherokee One Feather

NEWS ka-no-he-daDocumentary tells story of Blue Ridge ParkwayDocumentary ilmmaker BruceBowers and Bowers MediaGroup, Inc. have inished ailm entitled The Blue Ridgearkway: A long & winding road. Manyooks have been published about thearkway, but Bowers’ historical docuentaryis irst to break news by reealinga stunning secret political dealhat determined the route of the Parkayand altered the course of Ameriansociety.The hour-long documentary alsoakes a fascinating look at the peoplelong the Parkway corridor and adresseshow the scenic road affectedheir lives and cultures. It may be surrisingto some that the 469 mile longarkway was not universally welomedin the mountains of Virginiand North Carolina, and many peopleought against it.This controversial documentaryas been guided both by noted Ph.D.istorians and by ordinary people whoelped to build the Parkway. The Parkaychanged lives in unexpected ways.he Blue Ridge Parkway is, by far, theost visited component of the NaionalPark Service. Since its premieren the fall of 2010, the documentaryas been broadcast more than 600imes nationally and internationally onnearly 200 public broadcasting stationsin 27 states.The documentary contains a significantEastern Band Cherokee presenceincluding interviews with AmandaSwimmer, Jerry Wolfe, Faren SandersCrews and Freeman Owle. The openingsong is by Big Cove Rep. Bo Taylorand Eddie Bushyhead performs rivercane lute music throughout. Crewswas the Eastern Band Cherokee tribalconsultant for the project.In addition to Bowers, a nationalaward-winning televisionreporter/producer, the documentary isco-produced and co-written by DanielHayes. Both Bowers and Hayes grewup near the Parkway and learnedabout it from an early age. Director ofphotography is award-winning cinematographerCharles Shedd.The Blue Ridge Parkway: A long &Winding Road is made possible in partby Lowe’s, NC Department of Transportation,The Phillip L. Van EveryFoundation, The Kulynych FamilyFoundation I, Inc., Taylor & MurphyConstruction Co., Inc. and DarylCrouse.To obtain copies of the DVD, visitwww.BlueRidgeDocumentary.com.- Bowers MediaNative Artist meet and greet to follow ConcertBy EUGENIA L. JOHNSONFiddler Alan Jabbour and banjoisten Perlman will present a concert ofppalachian tunes on Saturday, Nov.9, at 7pm at Swain County Center forhe Arts in Bryson City, NC. Immeditelyfollowing the one-hour concerthere will be a meet and greet recepionfor Native American artists, Jeffarley and T. J. Holland, and Haywoodounty artist, Chris Burnette. Theirrtwork will be on exhibit at the Cenerfor the Arts through January 24.Sponsored by the NC Arts Council,wain County Center for the Arts andwain County Schools, the public is initedto attend both the concert andhe reception free of charge. This proramreceived support from the Northarolina Arts Council, a division of theepartment of Cultural Resources.The repertory of Jabbour and Perlanconsists mostly of iddle tunesabbour learned from elderly iddlersin North Carolina, Virginia and WestVirginia in the 1960’s. The concert willfeature music Jabbour learned from hismentor, West Virginia iddler HenryReed, who taught him over a hundredAppalachian tunes. Tunes such as“Over the Waterfall” and “Kitchen Girl”have become staples of the contemporaryold-time repertory in North Americaand beyond. They will alsoincorporate some tunes that Perlmanlearned in Atlantic Canada, Englandand Scotland, which he performs magniicentlyin the clawhammer banjostyle. The fascinating stories that interspersethe tunes will bring to lifethe historical and cultural signiicanceof these musical artifacts from pastgenerations.Alan Jabbour and Ken Perlmanhave redeined the classic Appalachiantradition of iddle and banjo music andhave brought it to new heights of complexity.Jabbour’s powerful iddlingstyle with its syncopated bowing patternsand lyrical texture is offset perfectlyby Perlman’s inspired approachto clawhammer banjo that includeschord inversions, harmony lines, voiceleading, note-for-note playing andcounter-melody. Their performancestestify to the grace, beauty and powerof Appalachian music. For more informationon the musicians and to heartheir music go towww.alanjabbour.com and www.kenperlman.com.Following the concert, everyone isinvited to the reception in the lobby ofSwain County Center for the Arts forNative American artists, T. J. Hollandand Jeff Marley, both of Cherokee, andChris Burnette of Waynesville. The exhibitincludes paintings of Cherokeemyths and legends in the style of theOld Masters by Holland, paintings ofbirds in an abstract, expressive style byMarley and paintings based on legendsand stories from the mountains ofNorth Carolina by Burnette.Holland says, “I want to tell the storiesI have heard throughout my lifethrough the lens of art.”The paintings by Marley have beendescribed as post-expressionistic and arelection of interpersonal conlict. Hesays, “My culture and heritage are important,but it is my experiences in theworld that inspire me as an artist.”Both artists are members of the EasternBand of the Cherokee Indians.Burnette is a painter and printmakerfrom Haywood County whosework focuses on Appalachian andCherokee tales. All three artists receivedtheir BA degrees in ine artsfrom Western Carolina University andare active in the arts community.Info: Eugenia (Jenny) Johnson 488-7843Eugenia is the director for the SwainCounty Center for the Arts.THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011cherokee one feather13